Water pipes

Do-it-yourself plumbing in a private house. Pro Tips

Plumbing in a private house is one of the amenities that increases the comfort of a country dwelling. At the design stage, this issue is solved simply and quickly, but what is the best way to act and improve life in an already finished building. When connecting the water supply to the finished building, certain difficulties may arise.

Plumbing for your home. Centralized or autonomous?

There are two ways to solve the water supply to the house:

Connection to city water supply.
Standalone installation.

If you live in a city or village there is a centralized water supply, then this option is optimal.

You will need to do:

purchase material and the necessary tools for work (if this is not available);
obtain permission to connect to the city water utility, this operation must be performed by employees of the organization supplying water;
piping inside the building.

Installing an autonomous water supply is a laborious process that requires significant investment. This type of water supply should be chosen if there is no city water supply or it is very far from the place of residence.

For this you will need:

(submersible or surface type pump);
coarse filters (before water intake) and fine filters;
tank for storing pumped water (hydraulic accumulator);
pipes for laying lines indoors and outdoors;
appropriate set of tools;
geodetic exploration with subsequent drilling of a well if there is no well on the site or the water supply in it is limited.
laying a separate power line;
arrangement of the premises in accordance with all norms and rules.

To do this, do the following:

determine the location of water consumption points (faucets, shower, toilet, washing machine, boiler, etc.);
draw the distribution of water supply and sewerage on a scale and with dimensions (taking into account all branches, stopcocks, etc.);
determine the scheme of internal pipe laying, is selected depending on the number of residents and on the area of \u200b\u200bthe building.

Pipe laying inside buildings is carried out according to one of two schemes:

Serial connection of all consumption points
Parallel (collector) connection of water intake points.

Features and benefits of such wiring:

Designed for small houses with 1 - 2 tenants.
From the beginning of the input, one pipe is laid to all points of consumption
Connection takes place one after the other through tees and stopcocks.
Flaw. With the simultaneous use of several mixers, at the most remote point, the water pressure drops by 2 - 3 times.

Collector

Benefits and wiring principle for collector connection

From the inlet water distribution device, pipes are laid to each plumbing point of consumption.
The pressure in the water lines is almost maximum, regardless of the length of the water lines, the area and number of storeys of the house, and at the same time the water intake devices involved.
The user can include an additional consumption node (household appliances or tap) in the system.

Perhaps the only drawback of such a system is the high cost. Higher installation costs and higher material consumption. But in the process of operation, all the advantages will block the disadvantage.

Regardless of which internal plumbing scheme you choose, the quality of the consumable can affect the reliability of the system.

Pipes for water supply:

Polypropylene. Are applied to pipelines of hot (reinforced) and cold (non-reinforced) water. Withstands temperatures up to 90 ° C. High durability (warranty up to 50 years), easy installation, sealed joints.
Polyethylene. Used for cold water supply. Do not crack when water freezes inside the pipe. Frost-resistant, plastic.
Metal-plastic. A good choice for hot and cold water supply. Despite the presence of metal, it has the ability to bend within a certain limit. Low cost, good for hidden wiring, no special pipe connection equipment needed.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Due to the release of harmful substances, they are mainly used for technical needs.
Copper. Great option for a pipeline. Respond to the principle of "mount and forget". The guarantee for water supply is 70 - 100 years, but the cost of the material is high, installation must be carried out by specialists.
Steel. For the pipeline, galvanized pipes are used. Zinc coating protects against corrosion damage and extends service life. The plumbing is assembled on threaded connections.

The tool needed for laying water supply:

soldering iron for soldering plastic pipeline;
scissors for cutting metal-plastic and plastic pipes;
adjustable wrenches (for connecting pipes with couplings and fittings);
perforator;
pipe cutter (hacksaw);
pipe bender (for copper pipes);
gas burner or heating tongs for heating the copper pipeline;
flux and solder for connecting copper pipes;
emery or file for chamfering.

Tip: For laying a water pipe with your own hands, use plastic and metal-plastic pipes. Relatively low price, easy installation, quality assurance.

In terms of quality, plastic pipes of world manufacturers differ from domestic production.

We offer an overview of the leading manufacturers:

Uponor Corporation. Manufacturer of propylene pipes with a worldwide reputation from Finland. The company was founded in 1965 in Nastola. All products of the corporation meet European quality standards and are certified according to ISO 9001 and have an ISO environmental certificate. It has its own laboratories for testing new product samples. It manufactures pipes for cold and hot water, heating and water floor heating systems.
Pipelife factory. One of the largest manufacturers of water and sewer pipes. Technological lines meet all European quality standards. The range of the company includes the production of all types of plastic pipes and fittings for them. It has representative offices in 30 countries of the world, one of which is in Russia, Zhukov.
Reha brand. Technically and technologically advanced and modern systems have brought the company to the first place in the construction market. The company's products are purchased by specialized construction firms, state-owned companies, architectural organizations with a worldwide reputation.
Polyplastic. Domestic manufacturer of polymer pipes. The development of our own scientific and technical center and design bureau made it possible to certify all products in accordance with international norms and standards. It produces pressure and non-pressure types of pipes that can withstand pressure up to 25 atm.

Cost estimate

The price of water pipes depends on the material from which they are made, the manufacturer, manufacturing technology and section.

Here are the prices for pipelines for domestic needs:

Polyethylene - from 100 to 1500 rubles. for 1 p.m.
Metal-plastic - from 80 to 2500 rubles. for 1 p.m.
Polypropylene - from 30 to 80 rubles. for 1 linear meter (domestic production), from 100 to 800 rubles. per 1 p.m. (foreign brands)
Copper - from 500 to 5000 rubles. for 1 p.m.
Galvanized - from 200 to 3000 rubles. for 1 p.m.

Water supply in your home has its own characteristics, which should be considered when designing a water mains scheme:

It is desirable to have a bathroom and a bathroom next to each other, large distances affect the hydraulic resistance, and cause a pressure drop in the system.
When tapping into a centralized water supply system in the summer, a strong decrease in pressure is possible due to the irrigation season of the plots.
In autonomous water supply, it is necessary to compensate for water hammer, the borehole pump operates under heavy loads and can often break down. The pumped water must be passed through a filtration system, the construction of a well requires significant financial costs.
It is necessary to evenly distribute the load on the water supply, depending on the daily consumption. Average consumption: per person 120 l / day, watering the garden (lawns) 4 l / 1 sq. m.

Technical requirements

Stepwise reduction of pipe diameter. From the largest, at the entrance to the house to the minimum in front of the mixer.
The water pipeline is laid to a depth below the freezing of the soil.
With an autonomous connection, the depth of the well is taken into account in order to select a pump to lift water and create the required pressure.
The hot water supply must be from a central line or from a domestic electric heater (storage type).
The presence of a pressure sensor and a hydraulic accumulator in the water supply system.

Any water supply system should include the following elements:

Source of water supply - city water supply, well, well.
Pump (portable pumping station).
Hydraulic accumulator - for uniform water supply.
At the outlet of the water tank, a shut-off valve and a tee are mounted.
Water filter system.
A tee for separating cold water flows and for heating hot water.
Collector for distribution of streams of hot and cold water.

If you have certain plumbing skills and experience, you can perform an independent installation of branch lines.

Installation of branch lines

The diameter of the outlet pipes for sinks, urinals, bathtubs and household appliances is 50 mm, for toilet bowls - 110 mm.
Laying is carried out above the floor at an angle towards the main riser.
The length of pipes for concealed wiring is not more than 10 m, and for outdoor wiring is not more than 50 m, provided that the slope is maintained.
Align the pipeline at a slope using a level.
Measure the distance with a tape measure from the ends of the pipe to the floor or ceiling.
Fix temporarily.
Mark places for fasteners and fix the line.
The shaped ends of the pipes should be positioned against the flow.
Pipes are connected to the main riser using tees at an angle of 45º and 60º.
To clean pipes from blockages, provide for the installation of revisions.

Laying rules

After entering the main (from the water supply) pipe, install a stopcock. To shut off the water in case of an accident. After the collector is installed, if the collector circuit.
When laying pipes through walls, place it in a metal or plastic cup.
To facilitate the repair of the line, they are fixed at a distance of 20 - 25 mm from the wall.
Install drain taps at an angle towards the intake point.
To bypass the outer corner, the distance from the wall to the pipe is 20 mm, for the inner corner - 35 - 40 mm.
The pipe is attached to the wall with mounting clips. When fixing in the corner of the attachment, install on each side, on straight sections, the interval between them is from 1.5 to 2 m.
For laying pipes at an angle, special fittings and tees are used.
To obtain a stable pressure, avoid a large number of angles and inclinations when installing the pipeline.

The most common mistakes in self-laying water supply in your home:

Lack of circulation in the "hot" pipeline. The result of the loss when draining the cooled water in the pipes.
When installing the sewer, they do not withstand the required angle. For pipes with a diameter of 50 mm, the slope is 2 cm per 1 m, and for pipes with a diameter of 110 mm - 3 cm per 1 m.
Lack of ventilation above the sewer riser.
Elbows with a diameter of 50 mm should not have more than three bends.
Lack of taps to cover each point of the fence or a separate riser.

When laying pipes through walls, use protective elements. This will protect the pipes from damage and the walls from corrosion.